Washington To Limit Medicaid Emergency Room Visits

khq.com ^ | September 26, 2011

[ilovesarah2012]

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) - Washington state is preparing to limit Medicaid coverage of emergency room visits for non-emergency care.

State officials have notified clients that they will get coverage for only three of those visits each year starting Saturday. Additional visits will not be covered, and patients may be billed for that care.

[dearolddad]

And so it begins.

[yldstrk]

too many use the emergency room for the doctor’s office

[PAR35]

Waste of money to pay postage to mail a bill. They aren’t going to pay anyway. This is just going to hasten the bankrupcy of more hospitals.

And why should ANY non-emergency visits be covered?

[TomGuy]

Additional visits will not be covered, and patients may be billed for that care.

Dubious.

First, medical facilities cannot/will not deny service, emergency or otherwise. The resulting lawsuits would bankrupt them.

Second, patients may be billed, but being Medicaid-eligible indicates their resources are limited. Thus, the patients could refuse to pay. So, who makes up the difference? Taxpayers via subsidies to pay for the uncollected amounts.

==

This is one of those 'looks good on paper' proposals that, ultimately, will not solve anything.

[basil]

You are absolutely right about that! I have worked ER’s in several states, and in every one, we were bogged down with non-emergency patients who we had to see regardless..........Fear of litigation ran deep.

[Average Al]

In many areas there is no none emergency medical care available on weekends and after 5 PM. If the government
wants to deal with something deal with this obvious flaw!

[Average Al]

none = non

[mewzilla]

Thanks to EMTALA, you'll get treated if you show up at an ER. But if you show up with a toothache, which I saw a Medicaid recipient do in my neck of the woods a few months ago, why should taxpayers be on the hook for that?

[A_perfect_lady]

Bill all you want, they won’t pay it. If they are illegal, or on welfare, or unemployed, there’s not much that can be done.

[ilovesarah2012]

Who determines what an emergency is? Chest pain - indigestion or heart attack? Sore throat and neck pain - flu or meningitis? Severe headache - kids driving you crazy or aneurysm?

[lynn4303]

As an RN Case Manager for a large hospital system, and already watching the Medicaid debacle, all it will do is move the cost to the hospital system. They will still come, it's just the hospital won't get paid. Just because Medicaid won't pay for their visit in no way means the patient will. Remember, to qualify for medicaid means you do not have any money. So the state is just transferring the cost to the hospital, already drowning in medicaid patients.

To fix it, the hospitals need to set up triage nurses at the door. Do not let these people register or make it to the waiting room. If the problem is determined to be non-emergent, call their MD and make an appointment for them for when the MD can see them and send them on the way. Before they get in the hospital to even sit down.

Our hospital will receive 32 million dollars less this year due to Medicaid cuts. We will still have to provide the care, but we just won't get paid. These Medicaid/medicare cuts in no way stop these people from receiving care. It stops hospitals and doctors from getting paid for care they provide as stipulated by the law and medical ethics.

[mtrott]

Isn’t it interesting that a northern, liberal, supposedly more “enlightened” state would attempt this!?

[ilovesarah2012]

Why should taxpayers be on the hook for a ten year war? I hate paying for a losing battle. I much rather pay for someone’s health than a soldier’s death. I also don’t like paying for aid to Pakistan or the Palestinians. We don’t have much say in where our tax money goes.

[ilovesarah2012]

That is why doctors are suing - they want to get paid.

[no dems]

Many Medicaid recipients use the ER for their family doctor because Medicaid pays for the ER but not office visits. Down in my part of Texas, one hospital put up a sign: “If your illness is not deemed an Emergency, you must pay a $50 charge before being seen by a physician.” That cleaned out the Emergency Room.

[Blood of Tyrants]

So what if they will be billed. They aren’t going to pay. They would as soon owe $600 for a emergency room visit as $100 for an office visit.

[Blood of Tyrants]

It’s not their money. What do they care?

[dforest]

A couple years ago there was a story around here about people that were on medicaid using the emergency room hundreds of times.

For stuff like a stubbed toe.

None of these people paid anything for their visit.

[yldstrk]

You know what? After seeing bills for $12 for a bandaid, boo hoo to the hospital